Cars And Their Secrets
by ReeseLovesCarter
Summary: A friend of mine was posting some screen caps in my Reese/Carter Facebook group and mentioned that these two spend a lot of time together in cars...that got my dirty little mind racing...I was going for an original kind of fic. Each chapter will focus on Joss's introspect during their rendezvous's in cars. The chaps will get longer as their relationship progresses,as will the smut
1. Wolf and Cub-Chevy Impala

_~Wolf And Cub~_

Cars... They always seemed to end up in the car together. The first time was right after she'd started working with John and Finch. John had slid his large body and those enticing long legs into the back of her Impala. He'd surprised her, for sure. His slow, sexy voice had drawled out, "Morning Detective. Miss me?"

And then she'd met his eyes in the rearview mirror. Her breath had caught in her throat and she'd tried desperately to hide it by making a snide remark; "Ya know, I always pictured you in the back of my car...in handcuffs." She could have literally slapped herself for that…served her right though, for letting him affect her to the point of making a remark like that.

He'd paused, just long enough to make her even more uncomfortable, before he'd replied: "To each his own." Smug bastard.

He'd probably known then of the affect he had on her. His eyes had twinkled with unhidden mirth before she'd been able to tear her own eyes away. Those fucking gorgeous eyes of his...they did something to her, something deep and unsettling. He was gorgeous, sure, but she saw good looking men on a daily basis; men that were tall, _gorgeous_ and dressed in suits, walking down the sidewalks of New York every day. Good looking men were a dime a dozen, but there was something about John that made her sit up and take notice. Hell, maybe it was the fact that he was the entire package, but then she dismissed that thought as well. She'd met those men too. She just couldn't quite put her finger on why she had such an insanely irrational and dangerous attraction to him...

She'd quickly handed him the file on Travis McGrady and trained her eyes on anything and everything…except for the rearview mirror. She'd slipped a couple of times and her eyes had flickered up quickly to the mirror, but she'd caught herself before she'd become entranced again. They had carried on an entire conversation just fine, until she'd stopped him from leaving with her question about where he and Finch got their information. It had been a mistake. She'd asked and met his eyes again, and then he'd just smiled in response. No, it wasn't a smile; it was a grin, a smirk, anything but a smile.

She'd been a goner ever since, she'd fallen head over heels in love with him right then and there. She wouldn't admit that fact to herself until much, much later, but that's when it had happened...

TBC...


	2. Baby Blue-Chevy Impala

AN: A BIG thank you to ReeseisLAVAhot (yes he is!) for always reading over for me before I post my little obsessive Reese/Carter fics. You may not know it, but you're an honorary shipper ;-)

**~Baby Blue~**

Their second rendezvous involving a car was on the bright, crisp, cold morning that Don Moretti had been released from jail. Once again, she'd been sitting in her Impala, feeling like crap and trying to overcome the medicine-head feeling from the Tylenol de-congestion pills she'd taken earlier, when someone opened the door to her car. This time, instead of the backseat, he'd gotten into the front. Once again he was sliding his large, lean, and unfairly gorgeous body into her car...right next to her. She'd been so taken by his sudden appearance that she'd been momentarily speechless, which was really saying something for her, or maybe him, because she _always_ had something to say. She'd stared at him for several seconds while he adjusted his long black coat as if he were getting settled in for a long car ride. She allowed her eyes to travel down from his body and back up to linger on his strong and, quite simply, perfect profile before she was finally able to speak.

"Where the hell did you come from?"

Her question had caused him to grin. She'd mentally damned him for his overwhelming effect on her. She wasn't used to her feelings being so out of control. She'd always prided herself in being able to keep her emotions and feelings in check, but not anymore. When he'd grinned, she'd been unable to stop her own smile in response.

"I felt like a walk."

"Fifty miles from Manhattan?" He'd stared straight ahead. He hadn't responded. Then the buzzing from the prison's main gate sounded, signaling that it was opening. That's when she'd realized why he was there.

"Don't tell me you're here for Moretti?" She knew he was, which was why she hadn't even allowed him time to respond to her first question before she continued with her second. "How did you know he was being released?" He'd looked at her and given her the same damn smile he'd given her when she'd asked him how he was getting his information the last time he'd gotten into her car! She had damned him in her mind again and shook her head.

"Should'a guessed; whenever you show up, trouble's right around the corner." She hadn't meant to be so snide, but she'd been so annoyed with herself at the moment that she'd allowed it to affect how she spoke to him. She'd actually found herself doing that quite a bit since then too. She'd been getting distracted by him, his eyes, his voice, his...everything and when she got distracted, she got annoyed and unfortunately she took her annoyance out on him. She knew she should apologize for being snippy with him, but then he was speaking again and she let it drop.

"What's your plan Carter?"

She'd went on to explain how she'd been authorized to offer Moretti protection in exchange for information on Elias. Then she'd gotten out of the car and talked with Moretti, hoping that he would take the offer of protection. Of course, he hadn't...but there was no way she was giving up that easily. She'd gone back to the car and driven off behind Moretti's car with John grinning in the seat beside her. Little had she known earlier that he was actually going to be settling in for a long car ride...with her.

As they followed Moretti, the drive was fairly quiet. She was still annoyed at him for showing up out of the blue, annoyed at herself for letting him affect her to the point of distraction, and downright pissed that Moretti had refused her offer. John's phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.

"Me too. I have to get back to you," was his entire conversation. She hadn't had much of a chance to analyze what that had been about because of the scene that they were quickly approaching. There had been a car and a motorcycle lying out in the middle of the road. As Moretti's car passed them, it was T-boned by a big silver pickup truck, and then several things had happened in quick succession. She'd skidded to a stop, the two people who had supposedly been involved in the wreck blocking the road got up and started shooting towards Moretti's car, and then she and John had jumped out and taken out the people that were trying to take Moretti out. She'd run over to make sure Moretti wasn't injured and thankfully he hadn't been. She'd gotten him into her car and the three of them had ridden to the safe house in silence…

TBC...


	3. Firewall-Chevy Impala

~Firewall~

It had been months since he'd last been in her car. Many things had happened since that last time when he'd ridden with her, and helped to save Moretti. But then she'd told him to go...after he'd given up the location of Moretti's safe house and Szymanski had been shot by Elias's men. He'd told her it was because he'd traded the location of Moretti for the baby - Leila.

She'd been so mad at him. Yeah, she'd been upset about Moretti being taken and even more upset about Szymanski being shot, but what had pissed her off more than anything was the fact that John hadn't trusted her enough to talk to her what had been going on. She'd thought that they had been working well together, that their working relationship might even morph into a personal relationship at some point. Hell, he'd been flirting with her relentlessly, to the point that she was dreaming about him almost nightly. And the dreams certainly weren't work or friendship related.

Not all the dreams, but the vast majority of them, involved the two of them in the car...in quite a few compromising, and very exciting positions. Her mind flashed quickly to one such dream in particular. For some reason, her mind had conjured up the two of them dressed to the nines, sitting in the back of a limo on their way to some uppity function that they'd both been coerced into going to. The whole scenario was ridiculous because it would never, ever happen, but then again, it was _her _dream.

Her dress was a deep, dark red that complimented her skin beautifully, if she did say so herself. It hugged her upper body, just enough to accentuate her breasts. The skirt was a whimsical, satiny material that flowed down over her full hips and hit about mid-thigh. John, as usual was dressed in a suit, but in her dream it was pitch black and his shirt was a midnight blue with the slightest sheen to it. He looked so damn good...good enough to eat in her opinion, and God did she want to! She kept glancing over at him, wondering if he was going to speak to her during the car ride to wherever the hell they were going. She still couldn't remember where, if she ever did know.

"Got somethin' on your mind Joss?"

Her breath hitched, just as it did every time he said her name in her dreams; whether it was whispered softly next to her ear or called out loudly with his head thrown back as he emptied himself into her.

"You know you can tell me anything." He'd whispered as his hand had slowly and deliberately moved towards her. It came to rest lightly on her leg, just above her knee but below the material of her dress. She gasped when his skin met hers. It had felt like he'd sent an electric shock up her leg in a direct line to the apex of her thighs. His fingers drifted up her leg. He pushed her dress up, purposely scraping his well-manicured nails along her skin. Her eyes rose, met his, and it was like the world around them crumbled. The rest of the dream was a blur of lips, tongues, teeth, arms, and legs as he shoved her dress up around her hips and took her right there on the back seat. He'd taken her over and over in that dream until she'd been woken up by the force of her orgasm. That had been the first time she'd ever had an orgasm during a dream. It scared the shit out of her because she wasn't sure what it meant. Maybe she'd been letting her imagination run wild and that had bled into her subconscious causing the dreams, or maybe she was trying to tamp down her true feelings for the man but they were too strong and bubbled wildly up to the surface. Either way, she was going to have to deal with it, sooner or later.

This time when she was in the car with him it was a bit different than the last couple of times. They weren't alone in the car. She and Fusco had rescued John from those assholes from HR that were after him and the woman he was trying to help, Caroline Turing. She'd been so pissed at him for not telling her that Fusco was working with him and Finch that she almost...almost didn't go with Fusco to the garage to pick John up. If she were being perfectly honest with herself, the thought _had_ crossed her mind, but she would never have actually entertained it. She would never ever leave him to fend for himself. She would always come to his rescue until she breathed her last breath, but that still didn't ease the anger...much.

She'd asked him, straight up, no holds barred, "Why didn't you tell us we were both working for you?"

His answer just served to fuel the fire of annoyance she felt burning in her chest. "To protect you."

She'd missed part of Lionel's response because she was paying attention to the road as she weaved in and out of traffic. She was gaining on the two HR guys they were chasing. Just a few more strategic moves through the throng of cars on the road and she'd overtake them. Then he had the gall to tell her... "Slow down Carter."

"Slow down?" She thought of a few expletives to add, but decided against them before she said something she would regret. "These two know they're goin' down for life. They'll kill anybody who gets in their way!"

"I got this." His smooth voice held a hint of something else that had the hairs at the back of her neck standing on end as she turned around to look at him. The little blue mechanism he held in his hand was enough to worry her a bit because she knew exactly what it was. However the cold, calculating look in his eyes would have scared the ever-loving shit out of her, if he'd ever looked at her like that. But then he'd said the magic words. The words that would always have her doing anything and everything that he would ever ask of her... "Trust me."

She'd actually felt her face flush as she hit the brake pedal. Five seconds later she heard the telltale snick of the hand-held portable detonation device being activated. She knew what was coming a split second before it happened, but she still jumped when the car they'd been chasing exploded before their eyes.

He started speaking and met her eyes in the rearview mirror. "We should all grab a drink together sometime. My treat." And then he was gone...walking away from them down a deserted street.

"Where the hell's he goin?" Fusco had asked her.

She'd just shrugged. "Hell if I know."

TBC… Next up is Bad Code


	4. Bad Code - Mazda6 (Part 1)

A/N: Just wanted to take a second to thank my fellow authors and friends who have helped me through my crappy writer's block. I appreciate all of you and your many words of support. I couldn't do anything without you :-D

Thanks also to those of you who follow and review. I read every single one and they are chicken soup for a writer's soul 3

Thank you ReeseisLAVAhot for always looking over my fics before I post. You are so awesome!

I'm writing this one in two parts since there is still another scene (or two) where our two lovebirds are in a car scene in Bad Code.

~Bad Code~ (Part 1)

Joss had taken a flight out of JFK and arrived into Corpus Christi at 1pm. The captain announced that it was going to be another sunny and hot day. She groaned inwardly, not looking forward to waiting around in the heat for the rental car pickup shuttle. She pulled out her cell and dialed John to get directions so that she could meet him at the hotel.

The phone only rang once before he answered. "You look nice Carter."

Her steps faltered for a second as she glanced around the terminal. "What the...How do you?..."

"I can see you."

She could practically see the smart-ass grin on his face as he said it. She pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it.

"No, not from there. Keep walking."

She rolled her eyes, unable to stop her own grin. "To where?"

"Straight ahead."

She started walking straight towards the door that led out to the curbside pickup area. When she stepped outside her eyes were drawn to him immediately. His tall, broad-shouldered body was propped lazily against a gunmetal grey Mazda6. Before she could stop it, her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened; he looked like a GQ model in the middle of a photoshoot. She snapped her mouth shut and giggled. She could see the headline now: _Top 10 Sexiest Vigilantes!_ Or better yet,_Vigilante Sex...Come On, You Know You Want It!_

Again, her mouth seemed to have a mind of it's own as the smile crept up unwittingly, however, the blush that she felt heating her face embarrassed the hell out of her. Apparently, she was going to have no control over herself today at all. Oh, this was going to be a long ride out to Bishop! She took a deep breath and attempted to compose herself while she trekked the twenty or so remaining feet to his car. Unfortunately...it didn't work.

"You look hot Carter." Were the first words out if his mouth once she reached the car.

Her eyes snapped up to his, cocking her brow up at him in a feeble attempt at conveying displeasure over his assessment, or joke, whichever it was...

He stalked towards her. Raising a hand to her forehead, he rested it there for a second, mimicking the way she'd checked Taylor whenever she thought he might have a fever. Then his fingers slid down her cheek, in what was decidedly **not** a motherly gesture. The shock from his touch froze her in place, rendering her speechless for several seconds. She met his eyes, but it was just like in her dreams where everyone and everything else around them became quiet and still. This wasn't a dream though...

When he finally spoke, his voice jolted her out of her internal musings.

"You feeling OK? You don't have a fever..." He studied her for another moment, then his mouth quirked up in one of those knowing little grins of his. "Must be something else."

Now she actually did feel sick. Sick that he might actually have some idea of what she'd been thinking about...but then she calmed herself because that was impossible.

She pulled back, hoping that the added distance would help keep her mind firmly grounded.

"I'm fine John."

He looked like he was going to respond, but thendidn't. Instead, with a grin, he reached behind her and wrapped his hand over hers currently holding on to her suitcase handle with a death grip. His chest was pressed lightly against her arm for just a second. She shifted again, ever so slightly, just enough so that she wouldn't be touching him, but not so much that it would alert him to her reaction. She pulled her hand out from under his, meeting only slight resistance. His mouth twitched then he turned from her. Pressing a button on the remote to open the trunk, he had the bag inside, the trunk closed back up, and the passenger side door opened for her in mere seconds.

She slid into the air conditioned car and muttered her thanks. He had left the car on while he'd waited for her. The cooler temperature was a welcomerelief from the humid Texas air that had already started to wreak havoc on her hair and makeup. There was nothing she could do about her hair, but she did blot her upper lip with her finger. The light sheen of sweat made her feel dirty and she hated feeling dirty. She wanted to get to the hotel and take a quick shower before they headed out to talk to the local sheriff about Hanna Frey. Her makeup needed a touch-up too. She didn't wear an exorbitant amount like some of the women that portrayed police officers onT.V., but what little makeup she did wear, she wanted to look nice...professional.

John slid into the driver's seat**. **They had about a forty-five minute drive ahead of them. He easily maneuveredthrough the light airport traffic. They were soon out on the two lane highway headed towards Bishop.

John's voice broke the slightly uncomfortable silence first.

"You ever been to Texas?"

"Yeah. My grandmother was from Texas. We used to drive down to see her when I was younger."

"Drive down from where?"

She looked over at him with a wry smile. "You don't already know that?"

His eyes darted quickly from the road in a sideways glance, answering in his typical whispery fashion. "I'd rather hear it from you, Carter."

She sighed softly, turning her head to look out the windshield. "Tennessee. My parents, sisters , and I would drive out to South Padre every summer. Our folks would stay for a week and then drive back home. We got to spend the summer fishin' and swimmin', without a care in the world. Mom and Daddy would drive back down to pick us up a week or two before school started back up." She sighed again. "I hated those first few days back. Not sayin' I didn't love it at home, it's just..."

Her voice trailed off as her mind took her back to those carefree summers with her spitfire of a grandma. She had loved that woman like her own mother. Joss had taken it hard when she'd passed away. Many times since, Joss had broken down when she thought about the fact that Taylor would never get to meet her and that she hadn't been able to introduce her to Taylor's father.

As if he'dread her mind, John interrupted her thoughts. "Has Taylor been down there?"

"No. Taylor never got to meet her. She passed away when I was in law school. She never got to meet Taylor's father either."

Her head rolled to the side to watch the dry scenery fly by in a blur of creams, tans, and various shades of browns. Texas had been in a drought ever since the beginning of summer. They needed rain, and from the looks of it, they weren't going to get it any time soon. The thought of rain had her mind returning to the shower that would be waiting for her at the hotel...

The warm water cascading down her body, washing away the grime from traveling and the heat. Fragrant, bubbling body wash erasing the faint ozone smell clinging to her skin. Long, smooth fingers sliding unimpeded down her arms and over her curvy hips.

She shivered, feeling the goosebumps prickle her otherwise smooth skin. She leaned her head back against a warm and solid chest. She sighed in contentment as those same hands reached up and unfastened the clip in her hair. "No, don't..." She didn't want her hair wet. It would take too long to get it done again. Her thick hair fell heavily onto her back. Almost immediately she felt it pushed aside only to be replaced by soft, warm lips pressing against her neck. Her soft sigh was a mixture of acquiescence and annoyance, but the next one was pure pleasure. The lips that were kissing her neck started nipping her playfully while large hands slid around to the front of her body to cup her breasts. Long, elegant fingers began caressing her nipples in an intoxicating rhythm that had her trying to press herself back against his hard chest while simultaneously pushing her chest forward into his hands. She lifted her arms, wrapping them back around his neck.

Her head lolled to the side, pressing her cheek against her arm. Her head fit perfectly under his chin. As his fingers continued their movements he lowered his head to her neck and began to feast on her sensitive skin there. She sighed softly, not wanting to draw his attention away from what he was doing. Soft lips soon became more firm, tightening in his urgency. She felt the slight scrape of teeth raking across her shoulder. She moaned. The scraping ceased. No! That's what she'd been afraid of, she didn't want him to stop. She had to tell him...

"No, please don't..." She let her arms slide down to his hands, hoping to convey her wishes. She was spun quickly around by strong arms. Before she could even comprehend what was happening she was lifted and her back was slammed against the shower wall. Instinctively her legs wrapped around his hips as she stared up into intense blue eyes. She could feel him against her, hard and poised to strike. A thick brow cocked and his chin tilted to the side in a questioning look. "Please..." She begged, in nothing more than a breathy whisper. She felt him shift. Her head pushed back against the wall as he plunged into her. "John!"

Her body rocked and shifted, but he'dstopped moving. Her eyes snapped open to not only find herself **not** being thoroughly fucked by John, but she was also not in the shower, or even in her hotel room. In fact she was completely clothed, sitting next to, an also fully clothed, John and still in the car he'd picked her up in. The one and only thing that was consistent with her dreamwas that he was still touching her. He was turned towards her and had a firm grip on her shoulders.

"What...what's going on John?" She blinked several times trying to shake the remnants of what was obviously a dream.

"You sounded like you were having a nightmare."

"What?" Her answer came out a little bit more shrill than she'd meant it to. "I mean...why do you think that?"

"Well, you were asleep. You said, 'no please don't', then 'please', then you called me." He still gripped her as he spoke and she was acutely and intensely aware that his thumbs were sliding slowly over her arms. "It sounded like you were having a bad dream, that maybe you were in trouble. I pulled the car over to wake you."

"Oh... I... Yeah, thanks." She breathed deeply then exhaled slowly.

"You sure you're alright? You look...a bit flushed."

"I'm fine." She was surprised at the worried look on his face. She hated that look, it always meant someone was in trouble. Oh if he only knew the context of those few words he'd heard. She felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought of that last position she'd been in with him...or rather the position he'd been in...in her. Distance, she needed it badly. She looked down at his hands and he immediately pulled back.

He turned to face the front again, put the car in drive and sped off.

When she'd finally steadied her breathing and felt sure enough to speak, she looked over at him. "Thanks. Sorry I worried you."

"It's OK. Wanna talk about it?"

"No!" She practically yelped. "I mean, I don't remember much. So...how long before we get to Bishop?"

His eyes flickered over to her then quickly back to the road. She didn't like that look either. He'd been reading her, and she guessed that he'd seen through her little lie.

"We're here."

Her head snapped up and looked around. Bishop was a quaint little town. John drove slowly through the outskirts of town where the speed limit was only twenty five.

"Not much to it, is there?" She mumbled. "No five-star hotels here huh?"

John pointed off to the right. "There's the police station. Do you want to stop now?"

"No, I'd rather go to the hotel first. Where did you book us rooms?"

"The Bishop Inn."

Joss inwardly groaned. It didn't sound like much, but then shementally chastised herself. They weren't here to vacation.

"OK."

A couple of minutes later John pulled into the Bishop Inn's parking lot.

Oh no...she thought. There is no way. This place looked like one of those motels that rented rooms by the hour! Surprisingly though,the parking lot was packed with mostly large trucks, campers, and RV's. What the hell was going on...was this the only damn hotel in town?

"I'll go get us checked in." He must have 'read' her again. "Would you like to wait in the car?"

"No, I'm fine."

She followed him to the tiny building that served as not only the check-in desk, but a clubhouse of sorts. The "clubhouse" was pretty full, but no one was currently waiting at the front desk. The man behind the counter greeted them, checked them in, and asked if they had any luggage.

"Yes, it's still out in the car." John answered.

"Well sir, I'll come out with you and show you to your room after you grab your luggage."

"Alright."

John retrieved his bag, and hers as well, acting as if he was going to take it for her. Joss quickly reached around and grabbed the handle as he closed the trunk. John smirked down at her. She glared right back. She was no shrinking violet, nor was this a vacation where he should feel obligated to lug around her little suitcase.

John and the front desk clerkstarted walking towards the East side of the building. She hung back a bit, assessing the throng of Ford and Chevy trucks littering the parking lot. Most of them had lift kits installed, increasing their height by two to five feet over the average truck on the road. The tires were all made for muddy, or in this case, dusty terrain. There was a gun rack installed on ninety percent of them. She wasn't nervous, she'd grown up around hunters, but as she walked past the little groups of men with their various hardware spread out over tarps, almost entirely covering the parking lot, she was reminded that she definitely wasn't in New York City.

She walked past the clerk holding the door open for her, took one look at the room and shook her head. Where the hell was the other bed? No, this was **not** going to work. As if it wasn't already difficult enough to disguise her attraction to John, she was going to have to share a room...a **bed** with him!

She shook her head. "Oh no, I don't think so. We're gonna need another room."

The clerk calmly explained that hunting season had just started. Not only were there no other rooms here, but there were vultures waiting in the parking lot if they gave this one up. Well hell...**t**his was better than having to sleep in the car. Besides, she was a grown woman, and mature enough to be able to keep any and all emotions in check for one night...

"This'll be fine." The smug bastard told the clerk.

Shit! The clerk left them in an uncomfortable, at least for her, silence.

She walked over to the other side of the room. Her eyes scanned the room again. Her brain tried to comprehend how this was going to work, then her eyes found the shower. Oh double shit!

"So...what are the sleeping arrangements?" Why the hell did **that** have to be the first thing out of her mouth, she had no idea, but she had to own it now.

He mumbled something about not sleeping, or using the bathtub. She almost broke in to let him know there was no bathtub, but he'd glanced back and quickly found out for himself. His eyes no longer met hers, and that smart ass grin of his had disappeared too.

"Floor'll be fine."

Just before she piped up to tell him that she wasn't going to let him do that, he changed subjects. Back to work. No more playful banter.

Well, she could shut it off too. She promptly told him that she would handle the local law enforcement. He brazenly told her that's why she was here. The slew of less than flattering names she was about to unleash upon him died on her lips as he turned to leave with her in tow. She called out to him.

"Hey..."

"Yeah Carter?"

"I'd like to take a quick shower before we head out."

Those cold hard steely eyes flickered quickly towards the bathroom and back to her. The muscles in his jaw jumped. The word nevermind was on the tip of her tongue when the smart ass grin made its reappearance.

"Do I get to watch, or should I wait in the car?"

Her mouth opened and then quickly shut. She grabbed her suitcase, shot him a half smile, half glare and stalked to the bathroom. "In your dreams, John." She mumbled as she shut the door. The shower was turned on in a matter of seconds drowning out his reply...

"Yes you are, Joss."


	5. Bad Code - Mazda6 (Part 2)

**A/N: This is the second chap from Bad Code. They had more 'car time', it just wasn't shown in the episode so I'm definitely taking some creative freedom with this. Hope you all enjoy it!**

_"Do I get to watch, or should I wait in the car?"_

_Her mouth opened and then quickly shut. She grabbed her suitcase, shot him a half smile, half glare and stalked to the bathroom. "In your dreams, John." She mumbled as she shut the door. The shower was turned on in a matter of seconds drowning out his reply..._

_"Yes you are, Joss."_

**Chapter 5 - Bad Code Part 2**

Joss was in and done in less than ten minutes. She was dressed, and her makeup touched up in another five. The room was empty when she emerged from the bathroom. Guess he didn't want to wait after all, she thought.

She put her bag in the corner by the bed, grabbed her gun, badge, and purse and quickly headed out to the car.

"Why the hell are you waitin' out in the car?" She said, after she'd slid into the passenger seat next to a stoic John.

He shrugged. "I like cars."

"But it's hot out here."

"Not as hot as some other places."

That got her attention.

John started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, heading back East towards the Sheriff's station.

"Like where?"

"Not as hot as Tikrit."

"Yeah." She nodded, her mind briefly remembering her own time overseas, in the stifling heat of the desert. "Well, I'm sorry I made you wait."

"You didn't." He turned and smirked at her.

She sighed. A comfortable silence descended over them for the remaining mile or so. When they arrived, Joss reminded John of their deal.

"OK, John. I'll go in, hopefully get a peek at Hanna's case file and be back out in a few minutes."

John looked over at her with a grin.

"No, John. We talked about this already. I'll handle the local law enforcement, you stay in the car."

He turned his head and stared out the windshield at the front of the building. "See you in a few...Detective."

Her sigh could be heard over the slamming of the car door. She never knew whether he was going to listen to her or not. This time she hoped he would. She didn't want him to come stormin' in and create problems for her, or for himself. This had to be quick and clean, in and out, without any issues that would possibly get back to her Captain.

It turned out to be NOT so simple...for her. She tried her damndest to talk the sheriff into letting her just take a quick look at the file, but he was by-the-book, as straight-arrow as they came. She attempted to remain calm and not go stomping out like a child throwing a fit after being told no. She actually had to work at it a little harder than normal. She wanted to help John so badly, wanted to be the one to come through for him...and for Harold, but mostly for John.

She pounded her heels against the pavement. Mumbling to herself, not looking forward to admitting her failure to him. Cursing the sheriff for doing his job, probably exactly the way she would have handled another detective from out of state, she yanked open the passenger side door. The first thing she saw when she'd slid into the seat was John looking down at something in his lap.

"What the f... is that what I think it is?"

He'd done exactly what she hadn't been able to do. The damn case file lay open across his lap as he perused it and began pointing things out. So, not only had he been able to procure it, when she couldn't, the smug bastard had done it in so little time that he'd already started looking into it...

******************************************************

They headed over to the Bishop Public Library. She looked through the file, familiarizing herself with the 911 call log for starters. Neither one spoke much on the ride over.

The woman, Barbara, who had checked out a book for Hannah the night she disappeared, was still working at the library. They ended up interviewing her for a few minutes. Barbara told them that Hannah's mother had died a few years back but that her father was still alive and that she still saw him every once in a while. She also provided the address and directions to his house.

It was another short, quiet drive. She looked over at him a couple of times when she looked up from the file. She couldn't look at him long. His profile _did things_ to her. Made her blood rush down and pool right between her legs when her eyes drifted over that aquiline nose and down to his smooth lips. One of the times he'd caught her staring at him. She'd played it off like she'd been looking out his window, but she was fairly certain he knew she was lying. She appreciated the fact that he didn't call her out on it. He was sweet that way...always had been with her. It made her smile that he cared enough to even think about being sweet.

His soft, whispery voice broke into her thoughts. "How's Taylor?"

That had come out of left field, she thought...but then again, they were out looking for information on a missing girl who was right around Taylor's age. She supposed it wasn't a stretch for her, or any other parent, to think about their own child during a case such as this. The fact that he was thinking about Taylor surprised her though. Although, once again, it shouldn't have; he was always thinking about her, and Taylor, Finch...and even Fusco it seemed.

"He texted me a bit ago. He's fine. Home from school. He's stayin' with my mom."

"Does he...enjoy staying with his grandmother?"

She chuckled. "Oh yeah. She loves the boy. Spoils him sometimes, but she keeps him grounded too. She's got a knack for doin' both really well."

"That's great. That you both have someone there for you."

She nodded. "Yeah. It is. I wouldn't be able to do..._this_...if we didn't."

Looking over at him, she could tell that he had something else on his mind. She didn't have the chance to ask him about it though. He pulled up to a little rickety looking house. It could've been very nice, maybe years ago...but the dry Texas weather, and lack of care, had been unkind to the little building. Losing a child could make things like caring for a house much less important...

They spoke with Hannah's father and found out that he and his brother had gone after the boy that they thought had taken Hannah. Joss didn't necessarily think that he'd had anything to do with it...it just didn't feel right. Then when he'd told them that the boy now hung out at a local bar, which just so happened to be right down the road from the house, John perked right up and immediately left. As Joss was following him out, a piece of mail caught her eye and a thought made her turn back around...

By the time Joss had finished talking with Hannah's father, searched through the mail in his trash, and talked with Fusco, it had been almost a half hour since John had walked out the door. She assumed that he'd just walked down to The Razorback to 'have a chat' with the man who had been accused of taking Hannah. Shit, she thought to herself; she should've

known better than to let him go without her. He probably had the place in shambles by now.

It took her three minutes flat to pull up to the front of the bar. Just as she thought, the place had definitely taken the brunt of one John Reese in full on badass mode. The front door's glass was hanging in the frame, bits and pieces scattered all over the sidewalk. The part that worried her the most was John, standing there holding a man by the throat with a murderous look on his face. There was fresh blood dripping from the man's forehead and mouth. She knew who it was before she even asked.

Cody Grayson...he ran off as soon as she said his name.

He'd never get anything out of anyone that way...and she told him as much. Of course he told her that he already had, in his snarky little way that always got under her skin. Cody didn't take Hannah. She gave it right back, letting him know she already knew that...and she hadn't even had to beat up a suspect or trash a public place! Her explanation was backed up by the junk mail with Hannah's name on it, not by a confession from a bloodied man. She got into the car and waited for him to follow suit.

She chuckled to herself as she got into the driver's seat. Watching him get in, his long legs folding gracefully into the front seat of the car, made her shake her head. How the hell did he get that big body to do some of the things that he did...and so damn gracefully! She supposed he'd been doing it all his life and that he was used to it by now, but it still made her sit up and take notice.

They decided to go back to the hotel room and go over all of the information and come up with their next plan of attack. Of course, _her_ attack wasn't necessarily meant to be physical...

First they headed over to Barbara's where they ended up finding some information that they could use to hopefully track down Root. John took the receipt found in _Flowers for Algernon_ back to their hotel while Joss stayed with Barbara and the local Sheriff. She'd had a feeling Barbara had been hiding something and it turned out her feeling had been accurate.

The Sheriff drove Joss back to the hotel. She needed to let John know that they had found Hannah's body buried in the back of Barbara's house underneath the patio. When she walked in John was putting on his jacket as if he were getting ready to leave. He told her she could keep the rental, and some guys were lending him their truck. Then her eyes flickered over to the bed.

"Why is there a crossbow on the bed?"

He spoke in rapid fire about a misunderstanding, they were friends now, and he had a line on a private jet out of Galveston.

"Wait, where are you going?"

He started into how he'd found out that the credit card used to purchase the book sent to Barbara was used just over three hours ago and that it was Root. When he told her that Hannah had to be Root, the look on his face when he said Hannah's alive just about killed her. She hated having to tell him that he was wrong about something like this.

She sat down on the bed and just went with the direct approach. In the end, it was probably the best way to do it. After she told him that Hannah was dead and that Sam was most likely Root, John left the room and headed to the airport.

Joss followed suit soon after. She got back to the precinct around ten after eight. She wished she'd been able to fly home with John, if nothing more than to have him talk to her. He'd found Harold, that was more important than him riding home with her. She was sure they would have plenty of time to chat the next time he just showed up in her car...or her apartment.

**I honestly don't know how I have kept from writing smut into this fic for this long...what the hell has happened to me? They will eventually get together in this story...just not sure how long I'm going to make them wait. It's starting to feel cruel. ;-)**


	6. Masquerade - Chevy Impala

**A/N: Yep! Another update! I can't believe it either. I have a few more in the works on my other fics as well :-)**

_Joss followed suit soon after. She got back to the precinct around ten after eight. She wished she'd been able to fly home with John, if nothing more than to have him talk to her. He'd found Harold, that was more important than him riding home with her. She was sure they would have plenty of time to chat the next time he just showed up in her car...or her apartment._

**6-Masquerade-Chevy Impala**

Three days. Joss hadn't heard from John in three damn days. Nothing since the two minute call she'd received letting her know that he had found Finch; he was safe, and there might be some residual "effects" from being held captive by a crazy psychotic woman. She shook her head, wondering how he was and picked up her phone to call him before setting it back down again. Harold probably didn't want her calling and checking up on him...mother-henning him, so to speak. But then again, he probably didn't get much of that, only having John around.

Just as she made the decision to go ahead and call him, her burner cell rang.

It was Harold. She asked how he was doing. His response was...cheery...for Harold. His next words caught her off guard. He thanked her for helping John find him. She deflected and told him that John just wasn't his "cheery self" without him around. He changed the subject fairly quickly back to the reason why he'd actually called...to see if she'd received the partial license plate number...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day she received pictures of some men that John texted to her. She ran them through the system and came up with some interesting information. She called John later that evening to let him know what she'd found.

She hadn't heard his voice in days. That smooth, breathy and perfectly balanced cross between a baritone and tenor sent chills up and down her spine every time she heard him speak.

She told him that the men in the pictures matched the descriptions of a couple of men who had the crap beaten out of them at Club 225 the night before. Of course she _knew_ that he had been the one to do it, but she asked him about it in such a way that allowed him to omit the truth without actually lying to her. Joss did that for him so often now that she'd started doing it without even thinking about it.

What the hell was he doing to her? She knew...she just wasn't willing to admit it to herself quite yet...

Later that day, she got to feel the chills again. He called her, checking up on the girl that Finch had asked her to look into. She hated giving him this news. For some reason it made her feel horrible to have to give him bad news...almost as if she would disappoint him.

She told him she'd found the girl, he'd asked her to check on, Gabby's cell phone at 31st and 1st. Joss had recognized the address right away. She been there the previous day when she had talked to the coroner about Alicia Corwin's body.

Her stomach jumped when he said he'd be right there. As much as she wanted to see him she couldn't let him think Gabby was alive, and she didn't want him to drive all the way there and have to give him the bad news in person.

She softly told him that Gabby was dead, apologized, and disconnected the call. She wasn't going to risk him coming down there. She could picture the sad look that was probably marring his beautiful features anyway.

It was her turn to call him. She had the information on the small time drug pusher, Paul Romano, and the man who had been in the hotel room video from Sophia's phone. She gave him the name Monty Spencer.

Neither one seemed to run in the same circles, yet somehow they ended up in business together.

She didn't have any answers yet, but she told him that she had the address to a bar where Monty and his "pals" liked to hang out. Months ago, before she'd met John, Joss would have very easily gone to the bar alone and checked out the lead. Now, she wanted him with her for back up.

Fusco had let her know earlier that he was going out to keep an eye on Sophia for John, so he was definitely not going. This seemed the perfect way to keep John with her, to keep an eye on him, and keep him from getting into too much trouble.

Joss told him she'd pick him up on the way but he told her he was close to the precinct anyway. He'd meet her there. Before she could ask where he'd meet her, he'd hung up. Once again she found herself shaking her head while looking at the phone. He seemed to have that effect on her.

She typed the address into her phone, grabbed her coat, badge and gun, and headed down to the precinct parking garage. The building was fairly dark. The fluorescent lights only stayed on when there was movement in the garage. She walked out and headed for her cruiser. It was eerily silent in the large building. Clicking the keyless remote to unlock her doors had the telltale beeping echoing loudly off the concrete walls. She reached out, her hand almost on the door's handle when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Instinctively, she released the safety on her gun and wrapped her fingers around the grip. Twisting at the last second to face whatever was behind her, she immediately stood down when she saw her would-be "attacker" put up his hands and smirk playfully down at her.

"Damn it John!" She exhaled heavily, but she couldn't keep from smiling back at him. That damn smirk of his was contagious.

"You should be more careful, Carter."

"I'm in an NYPD parking garage! Nobody's supposed to be able to get in here except for the police."

"Well...," he kind of gestured to himself, "as you can see...that's not exactly working out so well, is it?"

She leaned back against her car door for a minute to catch her breath. He really had scared the shit out of her. Unfortunately, he could tell and his expression quickly turned from amusement to chagrin.

"Hey, I'm sorry Carter." He stepped towards her, invading her personal space. His warm hand settled on her shoulder and was slowly moving towards her neck.

Damn, she would have much rathered him smirking at her than worried. It made her...uncomfortable. She didn't need him worried about a little scare; he had enough shit to worry about. Then he'd touched her. She froze, wanting him to continue but knowing that if she let him she wouldn't be able to keep her feelings hidden for very long. He read people, especially her, too well. He'd see right through her. She couldn't allow that.

"John, it's fine." She shifted just enough to stop the progress of his hand moving closer to her neck. "Get in the car, let's go."

He pulled his arm back and stepped away.

She got in as he moved around to the passenger side. It gave her a few seconds to take a couple of deep breaths and gather herself before he slid in next to her. She buckled in and started the car. Before she pulled out of the parking space she looked over at him.

"Ya know, you really can be an ass."

It was dark in the car and the dim interior lighting barely allowed her to see his expression, but she could see his teeth as he flashed her a smile.

"Yeah. I know."

His low chuckle rubbed her just right and she laughed as she pulled out and headed to the garage's exit.

It took them ten minutes to reach the bar. During the ride John told her about Sophia and how he had been posing as her bodyguard. He also told her that Gabby, who she had called him about from the morgue, had been Sophia's best friend and had most probably been killed because she'd been there that night in the hotel room with Paul and Monty during the night the video was taken.

Joss had asked a couple of questions as John talked but for the most part she kept quiet, listening to him speak. She tried to keep her mind on what he was saying, she really did, it just wasn't working out for her too well. The softness of his voice, the steady hum of the car, the heat of his body that she could almost feel radiating across the car; it all had her mind running in circles but the most distracting thought was how he'd touched her. If he knew how much it had affected her he would probably have a nice hearty chuckle at that. Or probably more accurately, he would go running for the hills. He wasn't looking for someone to fawn over him, who was distracted by a simple touch; no, he needed someone hard and tough to help him out on the tough cases. She was being a fool and she needed to get her emotions under control...fast.

She pulled up in front of the Churchill Tavern and before she could even shift the car into park, he already had his hand on the door handle.

"Why don't you wait in the car."

Oh hell no, he did NOT just tell her to wait in her damn car!

"Why don't YOU wait in the car?" She returned just as quickly.

Her emotions were already raw and she was on edge. Then he had the balls to ask for three and a half minutes. As if she were inconsequential and could be of no help at all.

"Oh please! There are at least ten guys in there."

"OK, four minutes."

He slipped out of the car before she could utter another word in reply. The smug bastard. She watched the tall, handsome, sexy, sleek, gorgeous, smug bastard tilt his head and adjust his neck as he walked to the bar's entrance. Damn him. How the hell did he turn her into a pool of emotional goo every damn time she spent more than two minutes around him? She knew how...she was just unwilling to admit it to herself.

Not fifteen seconds after he was in the door she already heard the crashing of glass against some hard surface inside the bar. Dear Lord, she just prayed no one had the chance to call it in to the station.

Joss waited, expecting him to come back out with that same smug look he had when he walked into the bar, but he didn't. She couldn't wait any longer. She walked into the bar, saw John fighting with one of the bar patrons, at least five others laying unconscious - she refused to entertain the thought that any of them were dead - and another man with a gun running towards John. Pulling her arm up, she pointed her Glock at the charging man and shot him.

John took the man down that he'd been in hand-to-hand with and then looked up at her with a questioning look...as if he'd had the entire situation under control. Bastard.

"I got bored...sittin' in the car. And it took you longer than four minutes."

He immediately launched into the reasons why the bar patrons were unsportsmanlike, and uncooperative and how none of them wanted to tell him where their pal Monty was.

She promptly told him, "Yeah, that's why you should ask them BEFORE you knock them out, John."

Before he could respond he touched his finger to his ear. She knew that meant he was on a call with Finch.

He said, "Fusco's with Sophia. Let him know."

His face changed. Joss knew that look; it meant that there was something very wrong.

"We need to go...now."

They both ran out to the car. He told her to head to 102nd st. He explained on the way that Sophia's boyfriend, Jack, had sold her out and led Monty right to her. Joss increased the pressure on the gas pedal.

As they neared the location Finch had told them to go to, the location where Fusco's cell was at the moment, her hands began to sweat.

"Carter?"

"Yeah?"

"You may need to..."

"Yeah, I know."

She didn't even allow her eyes to leave the road long enough to look over at him.

The car sped along until they reached 101st. She saw a large black SUV parked in the street, almost blocking it completely. She thought she saw Fusco standing in front of a girl who must be Sophia. Just a few feet more and she saw the flash of a gun held by a tall black man standing on the other side of the SUV and pointed straight at her partner and the girl.

She stepped on it, heading straight for the vehicle, committing to what she knew was the only way to stop them from being shot. Just before her cruiser rammed into the side of the SUV, John's arm shot out in front of her chest not unlike how her mother or father used to do when they would have to step on the brakes too fast.

The impact jarred her teeth. The SUV was twice the size and weight of her Impala. It didn't knock the SUV over, but it tilted just enough to allow her car to get wedged underneath it. The airbag deployed and with John's arm there she didn't feel the impact quite as much as she could have.

She jumped out and ran over to help Fusco take Monty into custody. When they had him in handcuffs, she looked over at John and Sophia. John looked over, their eyes met, and then he told her with just a look that they needed to leave. Her chin tilted in agreement and then she smiled.

He mouthed, "Are you OK?"

She nodded, still smiling.

He returned her smile, taking her breath away. Or maybe it was just the adrenaline that had surged through her moments ago receding. At the moment, she didn't really care. She had all night to recall that picture of him smiling at her...


	7. Triggerman - Dodge Charger

**A/N:**

**Hi all, It's me, Maddsgirl75.**

**Sorry for the repost.**

**I wanted to let everyone know that I needed to change my pen name. **

**Any stories you were following before you'll need to re-follow if you still like them :-)**

******Hopefully I'll get to update them soon :-)**

**A/N: I really didn't dig writing this episode's chapter because there were no car scenes :-( But it will always be one of my favorites to watch because me and my girls were there watching it being filmed and we met Jim and got some pics with him at 2:30 in the morning after he was done filming the scene in Queens (when Riley shot Gorge Massey's son Eddie). Joss's new Dodge Charger made its first appearance in this epi.**

**Hope you all enjoy.**

**Please remember to review!**

_He returned her smile, taking her breath away. Or maybe it was just the adrenaline that had surged through her moments ago receding. At the moment, she didn't really care. She had all night to recall that picture of him smiling at her..._

**Cars 7 - Triggerman - Dodge Charger**

Screw the paperwork, she thought... Joss Carter put the paperwork she'd started on the "accident" report that had totaled her car earlier into the drawer generally reserved for her badge and gun. Fusco would back up her story about ramming into the side of the SUV to save his ass just like she would back up his "story" that he had willingly dropped his gun to save Sophia but the gunman had then turned on them both.

She cringed at leaving it all to finish tomorrow, but the overwhelming need to get out of the station and home to soak in a nice long, very hot bath took over her practical, get-things-done now side.

It took her less than twenty minutes to get home and only half that to get her bath running with some essential oils added for relaxation. The scents alone were sometimes enough to slow her overactive brain down so that she could unwind, but not tonight. She settled slowly into the hot water; a soft moan escaped her as it crept slowly up her body. Thoughts of large, gentle hands inching up her sides, over her stomach, up to her breasts where they lapped at her peaks like gentle waves reaching some distant shores came unbidden to her.

Laying her head back on her bath pillow and closing her eyes, Joss raised one of her hands trailing her fingers lightly across her chest. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander even further, this time directing her thoughts rather than staunching the flow of images of her tall man in the suit.

Instead of her fingers, they were _his_ that whispered across the skin above the water line just below her neck. They moved purposefully down towards her nipples which were peeking out of the water as her chest rose on every inhale of breath. His fingers glided through the water and made berth on one of those peaks. The electric current that shot from her breast down between her legs had her back arching, raising her breast out of the water almost fully.

Her mouth fell open gasping quietly as the cool air above the water had her nipples hardening almost painfully. His fingers pulled and twisted them relentlessly until she thought she could take no more but she wanted more.

For just a moment she chided herself for her daydream;using the image of the man she worked with on a semi-professional level. What would he think of her? Here, touching herself, while thinking of him? Hell, he would probably give her one of his well known grins and calmly walk away from her while shaking his head. But then again, he did seem to enjoy flirting with her...maybe he did actually want something more from her.

She took that thought and ran with it. Yes, he did want her, he was just being professional about it and keeping her at arm's (albeit sometimes less than arm's) length. Well, she was going to let him have her tonight. She needed the release.

Joss directed her thoughts back to where 'he' had left off. _He_ brought her nipples back to the hard peaks they had been moments before then those long fingers slid further down her body. Across her soft belly and into the carefully trimmed triangle of curls, _his_ fingers continued south until they reached the tight little bundle of nerves between her legs. She gasped and arched into _his_ hand. _His_ fingers slid over her and began rubbing along either side barely touching her. They slid lower and two fingers slowly delved inside of her.

Her breathy "Oh.." echoed off of the tiled walls.

The exhaust fan was on and would hide some of the sounds from being heard two doors down in Taylor's room but she had to be careful not to get too vocal.

_His_ fingers slipped back out and up to her clit again rubbing once around it and then back down to her entrance. _He_ repeated the action again and again while _his_ other hand attended to her breasts. Every time _he_ dipped inside of her _his_ fingers pulled up on one of her nipples. The sensation was driving her into a frenzy. Before long she felt the tug like an invisible string being tightened through her core and pooling between her legs.

Twice more _his_ fingers swept between her legs before her body went rigid, her back arched and white spots exploded behind her closed eyelids. She almost cried out his name but caught herself. Instead she whispered it over and over as she rode _his_ fingers to the completion of her orgasm.

She ran her tongue over her lips, dry from gasping for so long. Taking her lower lip between her teeth, she smiled. Whispering his name one more time, she reveled in the feeling of it on her tongue.

After Joss washed, she slowly rose, dried herself off and walked quietly across the hall to her bedroom. Not even bothering with getting dressed in her nightshirt she slid under the sheets and comforter burrowing herself in the softness. She took a deep breath and drifted off into a contented sleep.

She was still thinking of her form of relaxation last night in the bath when the soft trilling ring of her phone woke her from her musing as she walked through the precinct towards her desk. She smiled at first at the way he said her name when she picked up.

"Carter."

"Morning, Detective."

She could always tell exactly what facial expression he wore when he spoke to her on the phone. This morning he had a smile on his face. His sing-songy "morning detective" gave her butterflies, but she couldn't let him know that. She had to act as if last night hadn't happened. OK, so it hadn't happened for him, but it certainly had for her.

"No. Not until I've had my morning coffee."

"You can take it with you."

He reminded her of Taylor when he wanted something and she said no. It was like he would offer ways around her no to get what he wanted anyway. It was adorable...sometimes. With John, it typically meant that he was going to get his way, but that didn't mean she was going to give in right away.

"Take it where?"

"I'm sending you the location."

Bastard. What was she thinking...he always got his way.

Shaking her head, she digressed. "Why? What's there?"

"A body."

Shit. Of course there was. When was there **not **some kind of a body when John was involved? Whether it was dead or alive was usually the question even though it had been the latter here lately.

She grabbed her gun, badge, and jacket and headed out.

She was going to kill John. This shit had to stop. The mess he'd gotten himself into this time with George Massey and Riley Cavenaugh was utterly insane. He was supposed to be protecting innocents, not some hired hitman that had the Irish mob on his ass...possibly for killing said mob boss's son.

Joss punched John's number into her burner phone and waited for him to pick up.

Joss hung up completely exasperated.

He'd used her...he said that this Riley Cavenaugh was protecting some woman, Annie Delaney, from George Massey but it just didn't make sense.

She knew she'd hear back from John later, but for the time being, she needed to treat this case like she was still after Riley. She called Szymanski. After a quick chat she found out where he was and headed out to Grand Central where the police had just spotted Cavenaugh. She grabbed her things and once again headed out of the precinct.

She hadn't been at the station for ten minutes when her "other" phone rang.

"How's it goin', Detective?" Drawled the smooth voice in her ear. It tickled her senses even when his tone gave away that he was in some kind of trouble.

She quickly told him that Szymanski was gunning for Cavenaugh and to stay clear for a while.

"Well that's gonna be a little difficult."

That sinking feeling hit her. "Don't tell me you're with him."

There was silence on the other line before he responded. "OK, I won't, but I still need your help."

Of course he did...and as always, she'd give it to him. But not before she reamed his ass for being an idiot.

"John, this guy killed Eddie Massey."

He told her that he was just protecting Annie and that George had gone after her and Riley. She was sure the DA would take that into consideration and told him so but he quickly told her that it wasn't about Riley now, it was about protecting Annie because George had put a hit out on both of them with a million dollar bounty.

Then he told her that if he was wrong, he'd bring Riley in himself. She knew he would. She trusted him that much. She groaned and relayed false tip information to Szymanski about a CI seeing their suspect across town. Immediately the officers in the area radioed in the information to all the cars in the area.

She sighed. Knowing that she had just sent her own squad and probably others on a wild goose chase nibbled away on her conscience. What the hell was this man doing to her?

She headed to her cruiser and drove home not wanting to be involved in any more false information giving today... Then she grinned to herself remembering last night and how she'd 'relaxed'. "I need a bath."


End file.
